Life is like a Horizontal Fall
by SapphireShelle91
Summary: Michael is alone, in an airport . Today is not a good day!


**Author's Note:** Well, my first ever Princess Diaries fanfic EVER! So if the character's (Michael, Mia and so on) don't sound quite right, I am truly sorry about that. I am still rather new to series and I am also reading it out of order... exactly like I did with the Mediator series, yay!... It sucks and I am, at times, more than a little confused. Though I'm not sure if that is due to my reading out of order or Mia. I don't really like reading the Diary style I admit. I find it very annoying, though I like reading first person, so I don't really get it. But I do like the story, very much, even though Mia and Lily and so on do annoy me greatly. At times I think I'm reading the series solely for Michael, who I will have to say is my favourite character in the whole series, though I seem to be reading all the books that don't have him in them very much, which is why I have written this fanfic in his first person... And I am sorry in advance if he sounds wrong, but please take into account I am have only read book 1, 6 adn 8 because that was all my library had. But I do know how the series ends. Yeah, I like my spoilers.  
Anyways, this takes place about five years aftter the ninth book (book ten never happen) and yeah, please read and let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Characters or Themes in this fanfic. They belong to Meg Cabot.

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**Life is like a Horizontal Fall**

She got married today. She got married today. She got married TODAY!

She got MARRIED… Yeah, yeah, I get brain. I – Get - IT!

Life sucks!

I groaned and smacked my head against the plastic table that I was sitting at in the middle of Heathrow Airport, waiting for my plane to… well, I had planned on going back to home after a visit with some scientist here in London but I really don't think I can deal with my family right now. With Mom and Dad's sympathetic, pitying looks and Lily… oh god, I am defiantly not going back…

She got married today. She got married today. She got married today to some jerk who isn't you!

. . .

I really do hate my brain at times.

The last thing I wanted to be thinking about at the moment is exactly what I am thinking about the most.

I don't want to think about her now being married to some extremely rich, French duke… or is it Lord?

Who cares, the fact is she is got married to a guy who isn't me!

I really need to get over her. I mean I haven't seen her in person for over five years, and our goodbye wasn't exactly what you'd call a happy one…

I sighed heavily.

I've seen her face of course over the years. On TV, the internet and in magazines. She's grown up really well… I know that sounds weird but its true. She's a real princess now.

And I don't mean a princess that parties all the time and spends all her money on stupid overly expensive bits of crap. I mean a princess who goes out of her way to help others, publically standing up to senators who could be her father, grandfather, for the rights of others and for the planet, forcing them to look back upon their previous ways of thinking and to rethink them. I'm rather proud of her for that.

Ok, I am very proud of her. She is standing up for herself and for what she believes in, while also taking in and accepting that what she might believe in might take time and money to have happen. This is something Lily has never been able to do. She wants everything NOW! Not taking into an account of how much money and resources are needed for her goals to be accomplished.

I shake my head and go to take another sip of my coffee. My very large, very strong coffee… which I discovered, have apparently already drunk, much to my great disgust.

Why is the coffee always gone?

I need another one or I'll never make it through the rest of the day. Don't even want to think about how I'm going to get through tonight… Don't even want to think about it…

Right, need to get to a Starbucks (like that'll be hard, they're bloody everywhere nowadays! This airports being no exception) and get another one their largest, strongest coffee into me.

I rose to my feet and walked through the throng of happy tourist, laughing and chatting loudly to each excitedly. I winced every time I heard her name being mention. Why did her wedding have to be such a big deal? Hmmm, maybe because she is a very well loved princess!

I know, I know!

Shut up brain!

But I bet she's hating all of this! All the attention and publicity that she is receiving for this marriage that she doesn't even want to go through.

Oh yeah, the magazine say that they're madly in love with each other, but I know better. I mean, I've known her since she was a little kid, little more than a baby, so I know the signs for when she is happy and when she is forcing herself to smile. All the photos I've seen of her with that French dude, she has a forced, fake smile in each and every one of them.

Ok, I admit it. At first this actually made me rather happy; to know she wasn't happy with the guy she was going marry and is now married to… but then, of course, logic and reason (and ok, a little bit of guilt) kicked in and I remembered that this was going to be the guy she is going to be living with for the rest of her life! The guy she is going to produce heirs with! And not to mention, that at some point she is going to be ruling Genovia with!

And she can't very well carry out all of these things that she is expected to when she isn't even happy about being with the guy!

I should I know, I've seen her trying to force herself to be happy with someone she doesn't like. Granted that ended with her ending up with me, but…

Right, need huge, really strong coffee now!

And I need to stop thinking of her, right now!

I walked for the nearest Starbucks, which was right next to a real simple take away place, where one of the workers was having an argument with its only customer.

"How can you be a part of an international airport, with people from all over the world flying in every hour of every day and not have a Vegetarian meal?" The customer was complaining, not particularly loudly but her words could be clearly understood from where I was. Her hands were on her hips, her blondish hair pulled into a high pony tail on the crown of her head. And despite the ridiculous sunglasses that she wore, I could tell that the girl was glaring at the worker, who was looking more than a little sheepish back at her. But seriously, who wears sunglasses in an airport? And really dark ones too.

"We're very sorry but we don't have any solo vegetarian meals."

"Not even a vegetarian lasagne?" she asked, her bottom lip sticking out a little. The worker simply shook his head and the girl made a soft huffing noise, before she turned and left.

I watched her go with interest, though I have no idea why. I mean, she was rather on the tallish side and I guess I'm not quite used to seeing a girl with a French accent wearing huge combat boots and overalls. It just didn't fit with the picture I had of French girls. Not that I've met many French girls, but you get my drift.

Hmmm, overalls and huge combat boots. Geez, haven't seen that combo since… no, I am not going to think about her.

Coffee… now!

Wow, this coffee really _IS_ strong!

I pulled a face after the first sip of the extremely strong caffeine as it entered my month and seared its way down my throat.

Arg, hot!

But I gulped the whole thing down anyway within three minutes flat. I really need to stop doing that. I mean, not only is my tongue now feeling like I put a searing hot coal on it but now I have nothing to do but sit around, watching people go by and thinking how much I really didn't want to go home. At least when I had a cup of coffee I had something to occupy my time. Maybe I should go to one of the many bookshops in here or to the Games store I can see from where I'm sitting. I need a new computer game anyway, I might as well see if I can get one cheap.

I got up from the plastic table and made for the store, when suddenly something, a person walked straight into me, hard, causing me to lose my balance and to toppled to the ground. The person, girl, squealing a little as she came down with me, landing on top of my chest. Great, just great… winded, ow.

"I am so sorry. I am so, so very sorry." The girl was babbling as she struggled to get off me. I didn't even bother moving, being completely winded and feeling rather bruised all over, I simply stared up at the girl, woman who had run me over.

Hey, what do you know it was the vegetarian, French accent, blondie from before! I thought with mild amusement, and she still has on those ridiculous sunglasses that cover more than half her face.

"Are you alright?" She was asking me, even though she wasn't even looking at me; too busy trying to get herself off me. She looked rather winded herself.

"I'm fine." I croaked.

She looked relieved; at least I think she did. The small nervous smile that was playing on her lips wasn't exactly a relieved look and the way she was biting her lower lip… what the… I tried to sit up. Wait a minute… I know that smile!

She finally rolled off me and onto the floor beside me, absently rubbing the side of her head where it had collided with my chest. I just kept staring at her, willing her to take off those ridiculous sunglasses so that I could see her face, to prove that I was wrong. But I had the oddest feeling that I wasn't. Wrong, I mean.

"Mia?"

The girl's hand immediately stopped rubbing the side of her head and looked at me as if I was mad. Well, I think that was her expression, considering how high her eyebrows had now gone.

"Michael!" Ok, now I felt winded all over again.

"What are you doing here?" We both demanded at the same time.

I reached out and wiped the sunglasses off her face, just to be sure that it was her. Brilliant grey eyes stared calmly back at me. Or not so calmly, because they were wide with panic as she snatched the ridiculous sunglasses back from me and shoved them back on to her face.

"What on earth are you doing, Thermopolis?" I demanded. I noticed her wince and immediately regretted my harsh tone and calling her 'Thermopolis' as she probably had a whole new last name to put on the end of that already extremely long name of hers.

Not really wanting to look at her anymore. I instead looked around for Lars.

Where was the big guy anyway? I'm pretty sure I didn't see him when Mia was trying to get a vegetarian meal from that little take away place, and I mean, he's kinda hard to miss.

"He's not here."

"Who's not?" I asked, still not looking at her.

"Lars. He's not here."

"Bullshit. You haven't gone anywhere without him since you were fourteen years old." I snorted at her.

She pulled a face back at me.

"Well he's not with me now." She muttered, pulling herself awkwardly to her feet. I quickly followed her example. As bad as I knew this was going to be for me later on, I couldn't just let her walk out of my life after so suddenly dropping back into it.

"Why?" I asked and she simply shrugged.

"Oh yeah." I grumbled. "You're married now. Going on you honeymoon, are you?" Did I sound at all bitter about this? What do you think?

Why is she shaking her head? The whole world knows that she was getting married today, so why the head shaking?

"Nope." She said simply and made to walk away. I followed, not like I had anything else better to do. I mean my flight leaves at 8:30pm and its only 5:30pm now and I've drunk my coffee.

"What do you mean 'nope'? Where's your husband?" Her cheeks started to flame terribly beneath her sunglasses as I said that dreadful word.

"I don't have one."

"Bullshit."

"I don't." she growled angrily.

"Uh huh. So there was another Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo getting married today, huh?" I'm not at all sarcastic or bitter. And I never knew her cheeks could go so red.

"I was supposed to," she hissed, "but I walked out."

I blinked.

"You did _what_?"

"I walked out. I didn't want to get married. And he by god didn't want to marry me! So I walked out."

"You walked out? Of where?" She looked more than a little guilty now.

"The Church." I gawked at her. "You stood him up at the Alter?"

"Kind of. But not quite. We kind of both came to a silent agreement when I was walking down the aisle that neither of us wanted to really be there. You see, he's in love with a girl who is in Theatre and I just didn't want to get married, so we both walked out. I just did it first and… somewhat more publicly. But that's ok, because that means the heat is off him and he won't look so bad when he asks Anna-Marie to marry him." She shrugged at my shocked face.

"You are kidding, right?" She shook her head.

"Nope."

"But what about your Dad? Or rather, your Grandmother? What are they going to think? Are thinking!"

"They're probably pretty mad at me."

"Ya think?" I asked feeling more than a little stunned before simply shaking my head.

"So where are you heading?"

"Home." She said simply, but the smile on her face told me just how happy she was about this.

"When your flight."

"8:30." I couldn't help but grin.

"Same." I told her. I watch her eyebrows rise in surprise over the top of her sunglasses. Why was she wearing those, anyway?

"Cool." Was all she said as she looked around at all the shops, cafes and restaurants that this airport had to offer.

"So, where is Lars?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Back in Genovia." I just stared at her for a moment, in disbelief. I mean the guy barely left her side, only doing so when she went to bathroom and now he was letting her, go by herself, into completely different country.

"Why?"

"Because I asked him to stay, so that I can have a break from all the royal crap and try and figure out what I actually want to do with my life."

"So the sunglasses?"

"I don't know. A disguise. It was the best I could do at such short notice." She growled at my sceptical face," I mean, this is all I have with me, this bag and the clothes that I have on. I left pretty quick. I mean had to, or Dad and Grandmere would try and stop me from leaving and everything. Plus I don't want to be noticed in public, at least not til I get back home. I mean, its not going to take long before my 'runaway bride' stunt is put on every news channel of the Western world. Might even go on some Eastern channels too! I just want to be home before the vultures start pecking" she shrugged and I just nodded. I mean, what else could I do? I didn't even want her to get married in the first place!

We stood there in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say or what to do. I know that I had no idea and I highly doubt she had any either.

I cleared my throat, trying to dislodge all the sadness and longing that our years apart had caused to form there and smiled awkwardly at her.

"Wanna get a coffee?" I asked lamely. Like I needed any more coffee, but I couldn't just let her go!

She stayed silent for a very, very long moment, with me just standing there, twitching nervously, contemplating all the ways she could politely reject my invitation and walk out of my life… again.

Her lips were pursed, the way they did when she was fourteen and was musing (musing? More like dumbfounded) over her algebra and I had to fight down the desire to kiss her.

Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts! But really I've had so many bad thoughts today, what's one more? And is it really that hard to decide how she was going to break my heart all over again? She was still thinking! She's… taking those ridiculous sunglasses off?

And she was, taking them off, I mean and smiling shyly up at me. Which is really not that far now. She's obviously gone through another growth spurt from the last time we met.

"I would love to." she mumbled shyly.

Did I ever mention how cute she sounds with that slightly French accent? And the way her eyes are twinkling with, what? Hope? Please, let it be hope…

Oh Damn…

Well, I'm gone.

I grinned at her and her smile grew a little wider.

"So, what have you been up to? Besides not getting married today?"

She didn't get married today. She didn't get married today. She DIDN'T get married today!

She DIDN'T GET MARRIED… Yeah, yeah, I get brain. I – Get - IT! And I can't stop grinning either.

Life totally RULZ!

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**Author's Note: **I hope that you all enjoyed. I had a lot of fun writing it. Though I think that I still prefer writing for Jesse (The Mediator series). Once again, I'm sorry if I got Michael sounding wrong or anything.  
P.S. To anyone who is reading this who happens to have read my Mediator fanfic 'Death Sight', it has been updated with chapters 12 and 13 if you want to go and find out wha happen to Suze and so on.

Thanks for Reading! Reviews are much loved.


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